“. The goal is to have a team that can entertain the fans, that can compete for a Cup and put ourselves in that position.”-Ray Shero

Maybe I'm being super critical, but I dont think entertaining the fans should be the first thing out of his mouth. It further pushes the whole "we're getting sellouts and making money so its all good" mantra that some are suggesting in light of the "status quo" with regards to DB/MAF etc....and I kinda believe them.

Another argument I don't like while I'm spouting off here is the whole "dan bylsma is one of the winningest coaches by win % in history!!!11!" If you gave the rosters he's had to my grandma she could have given Dan a run for his money on that win %

I think you are looking into too much. If all he cared about is sellouts and money, they would not trade for Iggy, Morrow, Murray. They also would not have spent over the cap when crosby was out a few years ago. Wanting to be entertaining is fine as long as the cup is the ultimate goal. He states both there.

Shero makes huge trade line deals almost every year. That is not done if you don't want the cup

This is a business, but one founded on entertainment. If hockey was boring nobody would watch it. That's the reason it exists. I saw this quote and knew somebody would rip it apart. I, for one, am glad that my happiness is a very high priority on Shero's list. Entertaining hockey (read: winning hockey) brings me utility. Thanks GM.

This is the crux of the argument. If entertaining hockey means winning hockey, then this team would have a different philosophy. But entertaining hockey as it's meant in this context means offensive, star powered hockey, which does not equate directly to winning hockey.

I think resigning DB to a two year extension pretty much says it all. More than any words that have come out of his mouth so far. And although I personally would not have worded exactly the way he did, bringing entertainment to the fans IS part of the teams job.

Rocco wrote:I have no problem with him not wanting to build a team that wins like the mid-90s Devils.

Seems we are going the other extreme though with losing like the mid 90's Pens or the Sharks. It's a shame we can't play like Buffalo when they were pressing for the Cup Finals or the Kings as of late. Combine that philosophy and this talent and that's great hockey that should win.

Sports is an entertainment business first and foremost to owners and investors. Not that Mario doesn't want to win, but he needs to run a profitable business first, otherwise there is no business.

Look at college football, the switch to the spread offenses, high speed, lots of points, lots of excitement. It sells more seats, creates more highlights, crowds seem to like it more than a good old 7-3 defensive game. The Pens are built to be that spread offense in the NHL, score lots of goals, they are not built to play 2-1 games. Like it or not, the Pens sellout, sell lots of merchandise and have the highest television ratings of any team in the league. They've been built to be exciting to watch and that sells and that makes money in the entertainment world. It may or may not be the way to build a cup winning team but it is the way to build a profitable team.

I don't necessarily think we should put yesterday's speech under a microscope. He seemed to be scrambling quiet a bit to justify his decision on Bylsma and also the trades he made. You could tell he knows there is a lot of criticism going around. But he has his vision and that's that.

When you have Sid and Geno on your team there is always going to be an element of entertainment that most teams will be unable to match. If you go to a slightly more defensive system you aren't all the sudden going to become the anti-hockey New Jersey Devils. Those two will still create chances and score highlight-type goals. There is a difference between Letang playing as a pseudo-forward (ultra-offensive) and five behind the puck, clogging everything up (ultra-defensive).